Interchangeable tethered glasses

ABSTRACT

Interchangeable tethered glasses for adjustably positioning relative to a face of an individual for filtering light into eyes of the individual. The inventive device includes a frame assembly for supporting a pair of lenses over eyes of an individual. An ear engaging assembly extends from opposed sides of the frame assembly for engaging ears of the individual to secure the frame assembly relative thereto. The ear engaging assembly includes a tether extendable over the ears of the individual, and a weight coupled to a distal end of the tether for maintaining a desired tension within the tether.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to eyeglass structures and moreparticularly pertains to interchangeable tethered glasses for adjustablypositioning relative to a face of an individual for filtering light intoeyes of the individual.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The use of eyeglass structures is known in the prior art. Morespecifically, eyeglass structures heretofore devised and utilized areknown to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structuralconfigurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by thecrowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment ofcountless objectives and requirements.

Known prior art eyeglass structures include U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,346;U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 335,135; U.S. Design patentapplication Ser. No. 324,871; U.S. Design patent application Ser. No.334,391; and U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 334,390.

While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives andrequirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose interchangeabletethered glasses for adjustably positioning relative to a face of anindividual for filtering light into eyes of the individual which includea frame assembly for supporting a pair of lenses over eyes of anindividual, and an ear engaging assembly extending from opposed sides ofthe frame assembly for engaging ears of the individual to secure theframe assembly relative thereto, wherein the ear engaging assemblyincludes a tether extendable over the ears of the individual, and aweight coupled to a distal end of the tether for maintaining a desiredtension within the tether.

In these respects, the interchangeable tethered glasses according to thepresent invention substantially departs from the conventional conceptsand designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatusprimarily developed for the purpose of adjustably positioning relativeto a face of an individual for filtering light into eyes of theindividual.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofeyeglass structures now present in the prior art, the present inventionprovides a new interchangeable tethered glasses construction wherein thesame can be utilized for adjustably positioning relative to a face of anindividual for filtering light into eyes of the individual. As such, thegeneral purpose of the present invention, which will be describedsubsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new interchangeabletethered glasses apparatus and method which has many of the advantagesof the eyeglass structures mentioned heretofore and many novel featuresthat result in interchangeable tethered glasses which are notanticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of theprior art eyeglass structures, either alone or in any combinationthereof.

To attain this, the present invention generally comprisesinterchangeable tethered glasses for adjustably positioning relative toa face of an individual to filter light into eyes of the individual. Theinventive device includes a frame assembly for supporting a pair oflenses over eyes of an individual. An ear engaging assembly extends fromopposed sides of the frame assembly for engaging ears of the individualto secure the frame assembly relative thereto. The ear engaging assemblyincludes a tether extendable over the ears of the individual, and aweight coupled to a distal end of the tether for maintaining a desiredtension within the tether.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carded out in various ways. Also,it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employedherein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a newinterchangeable tethered glasses apparatus and method which has many ofthe advantages of the eyeglass structures mentioned heretofore and manynovel features that result in interchangeable tethered glasses which arenot anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any ofthe prior art eyeglass structures, either alone or in any combinationthereof.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a newinterchangeable tethered glasses which may be easily and efficientlymanufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a newinterchangeable tethered glasses which is of a durable and reliableconstruction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a newinterchangeable tethered glasses which is susceptible of a low cost ofmanufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and whichaccordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consumingpublic, thereby making such interchangeable tethered glasseseconomically available to the buying public.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newinterchangeable tethered glasses which provides in the apparatuses andmethods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, whilesimultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associatedtherewith.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a newinterchangeable tethered glasses for adjustably positioning relative toa face of an individual for filtering light into eyes of the individual.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newinterchangeable tethered glasses which include a frame assembly forsupporting a pair of lenses over eyes of an individual, and an earengaging assembly extending from opposed sides of the frame assembly forengaging ears of the individual to secure the frame assembly relativethereto, wherein the ear engaging assembly includes a tether extendableover the ears of the individual, and a weight coupled to a distal end ofthe tether for maintaining a desired tension within the tether.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric illustration of interchangeable tethered glassesaccording to the present invention in use.

FIG. 2 is an isometric illustration of the interchangeable tetheredglasses, per se.

FIG. 3 is an isometric illustration of a first alternative form of aframe means of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an isometric illustration of a second alternative form of aframe means of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an isometric illustration of a third alternative form of aframe means of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an isometric illustration of a coupling means of theinvention.

FIG. 7 is an isometric illustration of an alternative form of thecoupling means of the invention.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of a first alternative weight of theinvention.

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of a second alternative weight of theinvention.

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of a storage box for containing aplurality of disparately shaped weights of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1-10thereof, a new interchangeable tethered glasses embodying the principlesand concepts of the present invention and generally designated by thereference numeral 10 will be described.

More specifically, it will be noted that the interchangeable tetheredglasses 10 comprise a pair of lenses 12 and a frame means 14 forsupporting the lenses over the eyes of an individual utilizing thedevice 10, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. An ear engaging means 16is coupled to opposed ends of the frame means 14 for engaging the earsof the individual to secure the frame means 14 and associated lenses 12relative to the head of the individual. By this structure, the lensesare supported in front of the eyes of the wearer to filter light passingtherethrough into the wearer's eyes to reduce glare and intensitythereof.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, it can be shown that the frame means 14according to the present invention 10 preferable comprises a pair oflens frames 18 supported in a spaced relationship by a nose bridge 20extending therebetween. Each of the lens frames receives an individualone of the lenses 12, whereby the lenses are supported in a spacedrelationship in front of the wearer's eyes when the frame means 14 ispositioned as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Preferably and asillustrated in FIG. 2, the lens flames 18 are circular in shape, withthe lenses 12 being correspondingly shaped. However, the lens frames 18may be square in shape as shown in FIG. 3, ovoid in shape as shown inFIG. 4, or as shaped in FIG. 5. Such disparate shapes of the lens frames18 and correspondingly shaped lenses 12 provide for differing amounts oflens coverage relative to the eyes of the wearer to filtered a desiredamount of light therethrough.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, it can be shown that the earengaging means 16 according to the present invention 10 preferably eachcomprise a tether 22 coupled to an outboard lateral portion of the framemeans 14. The tether 22 may comprise an elastic material, flexiblestring material, or other like elongated strand. However, the tether 22preferably comprises a length of decorative chain as shown in thedrawings. The tether 22 extends from the frame means 14 and terminatesin a free distal end whereat a weight 24 is coupled thereto by acoupling means 26. By this structure, the tether can be extended overthe ears of the wearer, as shown in FIG. 1, whereby the weights 24 willtension the tether to retain the glasses 10 relative to the face of thewearer.

As shown in FIG. 6, the coupling means 26 may simply comprise a ring 28extending through an aperture in the weight 24 and being coupled to thefree distal end of the tether 22. Alternatively and as shown in FIG. 7,the coupling means may further comprise a substantially J-shaped clip 30coupled to the ring and the free distal end of the tether 22 to permitselective removal and interchanging of the weight 24 in a manner whichwill subsequently be described in more detail. If desired, a decorativefacia 32 can be coupled to a front face of the J-shaped clip 30 so as todisguise the clip from view to improve aesthetic appearance of thedevice 10.

As shown in FIG. 7, the weight 24 may comprise an ear pendant in theshape of a circular planar member 34 including a logo or otherdecorative, informative, or advertising indicia printed thereon. FIG. 8illustrates that the weight 24 may alternatively be shaped as apolygonal planar member 36. Further, FIG. 9 shows the weight 24 as apivoted loop member 38 including an outer loop 40 having an inner loop42 pivotally mounted therewithin by a hinge 44. The weight illustratedin FIG. 9 has further utility in creating a pleasant noise duringimpacting of the inner loop 42 against the outer loop 40 such as occursduring swinging or swaying of the device 10 during use thereof.

When the device 10 includes the removable coupling means 26 illustratedin FIG. 7, the present invention 10 may further comprise a storage box46 for containing the various weights 24 disclosed above. To this end,the storage box includes a plurality of compartments, with a firstcircular planar member 34 being positioned in a first compartment and asecond circular planar member 34 being positioned in a secondcompartment of the storage box. Further, a first pivoted loop member 38can be positioned within a third compartment and a second pivoted loopmember being positioned in a fourth compartment of the storage box.Finally, a first polygonal planar member 36 can be positioned in a fifthcompartment, with a second polygonal planar member being positioned in asixth compartment of the storage box. By this structure, the presentinvention allows an individual to customize an appearance of the device10 by selecting and coupling a desired style of weights 24 to the freedistal ends of the tethers 22.

In use, the interchangeable tethered glasses according to the presentinvention can be easily utilized to protect an individual's eyes fromdirect sunlight. The interchangeability of the weights of the presentinvention 10 thus permits an end user to selectively customize thedevice 10 as desired.

As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of thepresent invention, the same should be apparent from the abovedescription. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the mannerof usage and operation will be provided.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and mannerof operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obviousto one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed as being new and desired to be protected by LettersPatent of the United States is as follows:
 1. Interchangeable tetheredglasses comprising:a pair of lenses; a frame means for supporting thelenses over eyes of an individual; ear engaging means coupled to opposedends of the frame means for engaging ears of an individual to secure theframe means and lenses relative thereto, wherein the frame meanscomprises a pair of lens frames supported in a spaced relationship by anose bridge extending therebetween, each of the lens frames receivingand supporting an individual one of the lenses, wherein the ear engagingmeans comprise a pair of tethers each coupled to an individual one ofopposed outboard lateral portions of the frame means, the tethers eachextending from the frame means and terminating in a free distal end; apair of weights; and coupling means for securing each of the weights tothe free distal end of an individual one of the tethers, wherein thecoupling means comprises a ring extending through an aperture in theweight, the ring being coupled to the free distal end of the respectivetether, wherein the coupling means further comprises a substantiallyJ-shaped clip coupled to the ring and the free distal end of the tetherto permit selective removal of the respective weight, and wherein thecoupling means further comprises a decorative facia coupled to a frontface of the J-shaped clip so as to disguise the clip from view.
 2. Theinterchangeable tethered glasses of claim 1, wherein the lens frames andlenses are circular in shape.
 3. The interchangeable tethered glasses ofclaim 1, wherein the lens frames and lenses are square in shape.
 4. Theinterchangeable tethered glasses of claim 1, wherein the lens frames andlenses are ovoid in shape.
 5. The interchangeable tethered glasses ofclaim 1, wherein the tether comprises a length of chain.
 6. Aninterchangeable tethered glasses kit comprising:a pair of lenses; aframe means for supporting the lenses over eyes of an individual; earengaging means coupled to opposed ends of the frame means for engagingears of an individual to secure the frame means and lenses relativethereto, the ear engaging means comprising a pair of tethers eachcoupled to an individual one of opposed outboard lateral portions of theframe means, the tethers each extending from the frame means andterminating in a free distal end; a first pair of weights a second pairof weights disparately shaped relative to the first pair of weights; andcoupling means for securing the weights to the free distal ends of thetethers and for permitting interchanging of the second pair of weightsin place of the first pair of weights, wherein the coupling meanscomprises a ring extending through an aperture in the weight, and asubstantially J-shaped clip coupled to the ring and the free distal endof the tether to permit selective removal of the respective weight. 7.The interchangeable tethered glasses kit of claim 16, and furthercomprising a third pair of weights disparately shaped relative to thefirst and second pairs of weights, and further wherein the couplingmeans is further operable for securing the third pair of weights to thefree distal ends of the tethers in place of the first and second pairsof weights.
 8. The interchangeable tethered glasses kit of claim 7, andfurther comprising a storage box means for containing weights notcoupled to the tethers.
 9. The interchangeable tethered glasses kit ofclaim 8, wherein the first pair of weights each comprise a circularplanar member.
 10. The interchangeable tethered glasses kit of claim 9,wherein the second pair of weights each comprise a polygonal planarmember.
 11. The interchangeable tethered glasses kit of claim 10,wherein the third pair of weights each comprise a pivoted loop memberincluding an outer loop and an inner loop pivotally mounted within theouter loop.
 12. The interchangeable tethered glasses kit of claim 11,wherein the storage box includes a plurality of compartments, with afirst circular planar member being positioned in a first compartment anda second circular planar member being positioned in a second compartmentof the storage box, a first pivoted loop member positioned within athird compartment and a second pivoted loop member being positioned in afourth compartment of the storage box, and a first polygonal planarmember positioned in a fifth compartment, with a second polygonal planarmember being positioned in a sixth compartment of the storage box.